Clare Balding reads poem celebrating our sporting Game Changers

It’s Not About Winning was written by the globally renowned Scottish artist and poet Robert Montgomery. It celebrates the achievements of seven sporting Game Changers, people who have made an incredible impact on elite and grassroots sport with the support of funding made possible by National Lottery players.

The sporting Game Changers include women’s football pioneer Baroness Sue Campbell, ParalympicGB’s most successful Paralympian, Dame Sarah Storey and parkrun founder Paul Sinton-Hewitt. The others are Alice Dearing, the first black woman to represent Team GB in swimming at the Olympics and Steven Tigg, Damian Kennedy and Stephen Jones, powerhouse coaches who have made an indelible mark on Scottish swimming, NI boxing and Welsh wheelchair rugby league.

As well as the reading by Clare Balding, It’s Not About Winning was brought to life by being displayed in imaginative ways at four key sporting locations. They are: Wembley Stadium, Principality Stadium, the University of Stirling swimming pool and the Ulster Boxing High Performance Centre in Ulster University Sports Village.

Clare said, “Sport is about so much more than winning a gold medal, it’s about the impact it has on our lives. That’s why I’m honoured to be a part of championing these seven outstanding people who have truly changed the game in their sports and communities.

Sport unites people across borders, bridges divides and ignites the human spirit, reminding us that through perseverance, teamwork, and passion, we can achieve greatness. The Game Changers exemplify the transformative power of sport – and The National Lottery has played a vital role in making their achievements possible.”

The reading of It’s Not About Winning was one of four activities taking place across the UK to mark The National Lottery’s 30th birthday on 19th November 2024. All of our Game Changers were nominated by members of the public and selected by a panel composed of members of The National Lottery family and partners.

The final two Game Changers will be announced as part of The National Lottery’s New Year’s Eve Big Bash scheduled for broadcast on ITV on 31st December 2024.

Since 1994, more than £8.2BNBillion has been awarded to support elite and grassroots sport projects across the UK. National Lottery players help our Olympic and Paralympic athletes live their dreams and make the nation proud, as well as providing more opportunities for people to take part in sport.

The seven sporting Game Changers are:

Baroness Sue Campbell, former FA Women’s Football Director.

Baroness Campbell transformed women’s and girls’ football in England during her tenure and oversaw seismic growth of the domestic leagues and grassroots football.

Dame Sarah Storey, ParalympicsGB’s most successful Paralympian.

Dame Sarah won 30 medals across swimming and cycling.

Paul Sinton-Hewitt CBE, founder of parkrun.

parkrun is a global phenomenon with more than nine million runners regularly taking part in 5km runs worldwide.

Alice Dearing, the first black woman to represent Team GB in swimming at the Olympics.

Alice is also co-founder of the Black Swimming Association which aims to ensure that black and ethnic minority communities have equal access to aquatics.

Stephen Jones, head coach and chairman at North Wales Crusaders Wheelchair Rugby League & Disability Sports Clubs.

Stephen transformed the sport and made rugby accessible to all, producing 16 international players.

Damian Kennedy, boxing coach.

Damian led the Northern Ireland boxing team to a record-breaking 2022 Commonwealth Games and was part of Team Ireland’s Paris 2024 Olympic success.

Steven Tigg, swimming coach.

The Stirling-based coach sent eight Olympians, including Duncan Scott, to the 2024 Paris Olympics.

Thanks to you, our National Lottery players, more than £30MMillion is raised every week for good causes.

Find out more about the Game Changers initiative here.

31st October 2024